Ball State SGA considers town hall for classroom incident

<p>Student Government Association President Aiden Medellin delivers the State of the Senate speech Nov. 6, 2019, at the L.A. Pittenger Student Center. Medellin said there was no official contact between SGA and the Black Student Association regarding the potential of holding a town hall event about the Jan. 21, 2020, classroom incident. <strong>John Lynch, DN</strong></p>

Student Government Association President Aiden Medellin delivers the State of the Senate speech Nov. 6, 2019, at the L.A. Pittenger Student Center. Medellin said there was no official contact between SGA and the Black Student Association regarding the potential of holding a town hall event about the Jan. 21, 2020, classroom incident. John Lynch, DN

The Student Government Association (SGA) addressed Tuesday’s classroom incident, to which the University Police Department (UPD) responded, during its weekly meeting Wednesday.

SGA’s Diversity and Multicultural Committee Chair Jordyn Blythe said the committee was interested in hosting a town hall event with the Black Student Association (BSA) to discuss the incident involving marketing professor Shaheen Borna. 

Borna had UPD officers called during his class because a student would not move seats when instructed to do so.

“There’s a potential for us to be partnering with BSA on hosting a town hall, like with the John Schnatter situation,” Blythe said. “We want to keep a conversation open for students.”

In 2018, after the Ball State Board of Trustees voted to remove John Schnatter's name from the university, SGA and BSA decided to host a forum to discuss diversity, inclusivity and racial relations at Ball State.

SGA President Aiden Medellin said there was no official contact between SGA and BSA regarding a town hall. If so, he said an announcement would be made via social media. 

In other SGA-related news, no new legislation was introduced, but committee and caucus chairs reported their prospective projects.

The Diversity and Multicultural Committee announced it is working to host a donation drive for African-American hair care products in February for Black History Month.

Senator Mariah Bowman announced from noon to 1 p.m. every Friday of the spring semester, there will be climate change strikes at Shafer Tower.

Additionally, the Student Services Committee is advancing its plan to put an ice machine in the recreation center for athlete and visitor use.

Finally, as SGA’s election begins its early stages, committees and caucuses are agreeing on meeting times between prospective slates. SGA adviser Jim Hague said he would like to meet with anyone running for the position of SGA president to ensure they understand the budget allocated to SGA.

“I want to make sure every slate that is running understands our budget moving forward,” Hague said.

He said he is looking forward to meeting with all presidential candidates for the upcoming election in March.

Contact Grace McCormick with comments at grmccormick@bsu.edu or on Twitter @graceMc564.

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